This invention relates to exercise devices which provide total body resistance to action of both extension and flexion muscle groups.
The importance of exercise in maintenance of human health is well established in the prior art. The primary benefits include cardiovascular conditioning, strength development, and flexibility development. For cardiovascular conditioning the most efficient exercises are so-called total body type in which oxygen is metabolized throughout the body, so total oxygen uptake is not limited by fatigue in any individual muscle group. For strength development efficiency requires convenient means to vary loads in both directions. Development of flexibility requires that an exercise be performed a wide range of motion. Also established in the prior art is the value of a so called kinesthetic momentum effect in providing an enjoyable continuous exercise.
In the prior art many total body exercisers providing a kinesthetic momentum effect only offer significant resistance in one direction, for example rowing machines utilizing a one-way clutch to drive a flywheel. They provide extension resistance in the legs but minimal flexion resistance, and vice-versa in the arms. Several devises which do provide extension and flexion resistance employ pivoting frame members, including Bolf (U.S. Pat. No. 5,9913,752) and Scott (U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,599). These however do not provide a kinesthetic momentum effect or a wide range of motion. Others, such as Olschansky et al. (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,145,479 and 5,284,462) utilized foot and/or hand driven rotary crank means, which also do not provide a wide range of motion. Other extension/flexion devices, such as Krukowski (U.S. Pat. No. 4,628,910) do not provide total body exercise. Mastropaolo (U.S. Pat. No. 3,572,700) describes a devise providing total body extension/flexion exercise over a wide range of motion which utilizes a sliding carriage for supporting the body and a one-way clutch means for switching direction of load which is not integral to the load means.
The object of the present invention is to provide a device for total body exercise which may be performed over a wide range of motion with provision for independent control of load over a wide range in both extension and flexion directions. A further object is to provide a device with a fixed seat so that work done by the upper body is independent of work done by the lower body. Another object is to provide a load control means which provides both a means to reduce shock loads at the beginning of each phase of operation and a simulated kinesthetic momentum effect not requiring a mechanical energy storage means such as a flywheel. Another object is to provide a load control means which provides an integral capability of measuring work output so that it may be economically recorded and summarized. A final object of the invention is to provide a device providing the above benefits which may be economically manufactured.